The Unforgiven III
by Yoshi's Best Pal
Summary: Sequel to "Unusual Dreams & Tragic Memories". Tails finally confronts Sally about his dream, & gets more than he bargained for. SallyXTails. Enjoy!


**__**

The Unforgiven III

or, Dreams Can Come True (Just Not Always As We Imagine)

DISCLAIMER: All...You know what? Screw it, you know the drill.

(Thanks, Craine, for that style.)

Miles Prower sat bolt upright in his bed in a cold sweat. He'd had that dream again--yes, the one about Sally. He was shivering: Every time he'd had that dream, it had gone on a little longer, revealing a little more each time. This time, he'd woken up at a very disturbing point, for which he was very thankful--he didn't think he'd have been able to stomach witnessing what might have happened next.

_That does it, damn it. I can't take it anymore. I'm going to take Loopy's advice for once & tell Aunt Sally about this dream. I don't care how she responds; if I have that dream one more time, I may end up acting on it--something everyone would regret,_ he thought to himself. Luckily for him, the sun was around halfway over the horizon, which meant that Sally would be just finishing breakfast & that Loopy would be on his way back from the Power Ring Grotto. All the planets were aligning: It was now or never.

After Miles had finished his normal morning routine, he went to find Loopy. They ran into each other at the entrance to the woods.

"Good morning, Loopy!" called Miles.

"And to you as well, Tails!" replied Loopy. "What business has you up & about so early?"

"I'm going to tell Aunt Sally about my dream, but I'll need your help," explained Tails.

"Always happy to help a fellow Freedom Fighter," agreed Loopy, "but how are you going to get her on her own?"

"I'll tell Sonic I need to talk to her in private," answered Tails. "He always respects my wants & needs, if not my abilities."

"Well, that's taken care of," said Loopy, "but how are you going to be able to get your point across?"

"I'll just tell her straight out," expounded Tails, "with the help of...**the song**."

Now Loopy fully understood why he was needed.

"Say no more, Tails, & let us track down the Princess," said Loopy, at which point a distinctly feminine voice echoed across the field:

"Do I have to tell everyone here a million times **not** to call me 'Princess'?"

Tails whipped around. There walking toward them, was the lovely lady about whom they had just been discussing: Sally Acorn, a young squirrel with looks that any lady would kill for.

"Hey, Aunt Sally!" called Tails. "Are your ears red? 'Cause, as you obviously found out, we were just talking about you!"

"Good morning, honey," replied Sally with a smile, before turning to Loopy. "Now, why were you 2 just discussing me? Is either of you trying to slip me a love potion?" she added with a jokingly raised eyebrow.

"Are carnivores vegetarians?" replied Loopy with a toothy grin. "However, your nephew does have something he wishes to reveal to you."

"Reveal to me?" asked Sally in a worried tone. "Tails, you didn't take a page out of Antoine's book, did you?" (1)

"God, no!" replied Tails. "Aunt Sally, I may be young, but I'm not stupid!"

"Oh, thank the stars!" sighed Sally in relief.

"However," said Tails, "I have been having a series of weird dreams over the past few days, & they all involved myself...& you."

Brainiac that she was, Sally quickly deduced the contents of Tails' dreams.

"Tails, you've told Loopy about these dreams, right?" she asked concernedly.

"Yes, he has," replied Loopy. "He came to me last week & told me about them. I told him the best thing to do was to tell you the 1st time he got the chance."

"He was right, honey," said Sally, addressing Tails again. "Thanks for coming to me about this, but you know something like that could never happen--"

"I know, Aunt Sally," said Tails, & hung his head. It frightened Sally how...**dejected** he sounded, so she finished her sentence:

"--at least, not at this particular time."

Tails' head flashed up, revealing tears in his eyes & a hopeful look on his face.

"You mean...there might still be a chance for me in the future?" he asked.

"Yes, but that's about the extent of the good news," replied Sally. "The bad news is that future might not come for a while; 10 years at the least."

"I figured as much, & I don't think I'll be able to wait that long," said Tails sadly, & his head drooped again. "I guess I'm partially responsible for that."

"No, you're not," replied Sally, in an attempt to cheer Tails up.

It didn't work.

"Do it, Loopy," said Tails mournfully.

Sally slapped her hands over her mouth as Loopy reached into his robes, afraid that he might pull out his lightsaber & slice off the head of the one who she loved the most in the world, motherly &/or otherwise. Her fear was only slightly abated as she saw Loopy pull out a portable radio/CD player. Tails hit the "Play" button, & a piano sounded an intro with slight orchestral accompaniment to a song Sally only vaguely recognized. Then the guitars kicked in, & it hit her: _The Unforgiven III_. Loopy sang the 1st verse:

_How could he know this new dawn's light  
Would change his life forever?  
Set sail to sea, but pulled off course  
By the light of golden treasure  
Was he the one causing pain  
With his careless dreaming?  
Been afraid  
Always afraid  
Of the things he's feeling  
He  
Could  
Just  
Be  
Gone_

_He  
Would just  
Sail on_

_He'll just sail on_

After these words, Tails took over for the chorus:

_How can I be lost  
If I've got nowhere to go?  
Search for seas of gold;  
How come it's got so cold?  
How can I be lost?  
In remembrance, I relive  
And how can I blame you  
When it's me I can't forgive?_

Loopy took back over:

_These days drift on inside a fog  
It's thick & suffocating  
His sinking life: Outside, it's hell  
Inside, intoxicating  
He's run aground  
Like his life  
Water much too shallow  
Slipping fast  
Down with his ship  
Fading in the shadows  
Now  
A  
Cast-  
A-  
Way_

_They've  
All gone  
Away_

_They've gone away_

Once again, Tails resumed singing:

_How can I be lost  
If I've got nowhere to go?  
Search for seas of gold;  
How come it's got so cold?  
How can I be lost?  
In remembrance, I relive  
And how can I blame you  
When it's me I can't forgive?_

Sally heard a short melodic break before Tails came back with words that sounded like he was apologizing for the whole situation, but didn't care if she forgave him:

_Forgive me  
Forgive me not  
Forgive me  
Forgive me not  
Forgive me  
Forgive me not  
Forgive me  
Forgive me  
Why can't I for-GIVE ME?!_

Now came an absolutely insane solo, by which Sally was completely blown away. After it, Loopy took back over:

_Set sail to sea, but pulled off course  
By the light of golden treasure  
How could he know this new dawn's light  
Would change his life forever?_

Sally & Tails finished off the song:

_How can I be lost  
If I've got nowhere to go?  
Search for seas of gold;  
How come it's got so cold?  
How can I be lost?  
In remembrance, I relive  
So how can I blame you  
When it's me I can't forgive?_

Tears were forming in Sally's eyes as the song ended. Tails looked at her like he was about to die of heartbreak & said,

"Thanks for hearing me out, Aunt Sally," & walked back to his hut.

Sally just stared after him, overcome by what she'd just heard Loopy & Tails singing. She put her face in her hands & asked to no one in particular,

"Oh, what have I done?" At this, Loopy wrapped her up in a comforting hug.

"You have done nothing, except let him know that his love, though a bit premature, is not unrequited," he informed her. "You cannot merely give him scraps off your plate, but at this point in time, you cannot give him a feast fit for God, either. Tails knows this, as well, & is willing to accept small portions at this time, if you catch my meaning."

Sally knew exactly what Loopy meant. Her face immediately brightened: She knew exactly what she needed to do to see Tails smile again.

"Oh, thank you so much, Loopy!" she cried, & promptly made tracks for Tails' hut. Loopy watched her go with a grin on his face & said,

"Good luck, Sally Acorn...& may the Force be with you both."

* * *

Tails was sitting on his bed, in his hut. He made no sound, but his eyes were waterfalls.

_I acted like a total idiot back there,_ he thought to himself. _There's no way in frozen Hell she'd ever think I was mature enough to date. Good song, though. _And he started humming the chorus of _The Unforgiven III_ to himself. He had just finished when he heard a knock on his door.

_Go away & let me drown in my sorrows,_ he thought, but then he heard the voice he'd needed to hear the most:

"Miles? Are you in there?"

He dashed to the door & opened it. There she was. He invited her inside &, together, they walked to the bedroom.

"What's on your mind, Aunt Sally?" he asked, when both were seated on the bed.

"Please, Miles, just call me Sally," said Sally with a smile.

"Uh...That'll take some getting used to, but OK," replied Tails. "So, what's going on?"

"I've just thought of 2 things," replied Sally, "1 of which you reminded me."

"OK," said Tails. "What were those 2 things?"

"1st," said Sally, "you reminded me: I really have to pick up a copy of _Death Magnetic_ for myself." Tails laughed at this.

"Yeah, it's a great album," he chuckled. "What was the 2nd thing?" he added, as his expression grew more serious.

"Loopy helped me to realize this," replied Sally. "Remember what I said about us dating?"

"Clearer than a church bell," said Tails sadly. "You said it wouldn't happen for at least 10 years."

"Yes, & I plan to stick to that," said Sally apologetically. Tails sighed, & his head drooped the same way it had not more than 15 minutes ago.

"However..." Tails' head flashed up at this word.

"...that doesn't mean I can't give you a preview," finished Sally with a grin.

Tails' face told 2 completely different stories at these words: The 1st was either that he was ready to faint dead away, or, speaking of being dead, that that was what had happened to him, & he was thus in Heaven. The 2nd was a look of unmeasurable joy & triumph: He was well on his way to getting what he wanted.

Before Tails' mind had completely accepted what it was taking in, Sally had wrapped her arms around his neck & her lips were slowly sliding over his in a kiss that, though soft & gentle, completely blew Tails away.

Said kiss lasted all of 7 seconds. After Sally pulled away, she pulled Tails into a hug that felt, to him, exactly like in his dreams. During this embrace, Tails heard 4 words whispered in his ear that, though they had, in the past, repulsed Tails with the thought of this ever happening to him, were now a solid boulder on which he could stand against anything, literally:

"I love you, Miles."

Tails had never been expecting this to happen, but now that it had, he was ready.

"And I love you, Sally," he replied, though he was blushing slightly. Sally giggled when she saw this, & Tails' face took on a slightly embarrassed smile. Then, he remembered something he hadn't originally considered.

"Wait...what about Sonic?" he asked.

"He always told me," replied Sally, "that, although he was grateful to be my boyfriend, he'd rather I dated you. I never understood why until today."

Tails breathed a sigh of relief, his 1st in many days.

"Just out of curiosity, can I expect more previews like this?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Absolutely, handsome, but don't expect them to come too often," replied Sally with a mischievous smile.

"Well, beautiful, you have just made me realize something," said Tails breathlessly.

"And what would that be, Miles?" asked Sally, curious.

"I guess dreams really **can** come true after all," explained Tails.

"That they can, honey," said Sally happily, & pecked Tails' lips again.

"Yeah, just not always as we imagine," added Tails, & they both laughed.

"Well, I have to get to the rest of the Fighters to plan our next attack," said Sally. "You can expect all your previews after this to come...oh, let's say...at least once, but maybe twice a month."

It was a better timetable than Tails ever could have hoped for.

"Thanks, Au--I mean Sally," Tails corrected himself.

Sally raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I told you it'd take some getting used to," reminded Tails.

Sally laughed, then turned to leave. Before she did, though, she gave Tails 1 more kiss & then said 8 powerful words:

**_"I'll see you in 15 minutes...my love."_**

* * *

1: The SatAM episode "Hooked On Sonics" will tell you where this came from.

A/N: How's that for a happy ending? I know, it's an odd pairing, but hey, sometimes the odd pairings are the ones that work the best.

Challenge: There is product placement in this story: I used an album named _Death Magnetic_. You get points in my cool book if you can correctly identify the artist.

To my knowledge, this is the 1st story on the site to feature a song from _Death Magnetic_. Yay, me.

Thanks for reading, & feel free to review!

END


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